Denial
by The Dali Llama
Summary: After a very rare good-night's sleep Chloe decides to follow Derek out into the woods, wondering what he's up to. Of course, she has an accident. When her hero discovers her alone out there, Chloe begins to do some thinking. Chlerek. 2 part one-shot
1. Creek

I sat on the porch swing, drawing shapes in the condensation on my lemonade glass. It was fairly quiet, the only sounds being the wind ruffling the trees and the soft clinking of the ice in my glass. The serene atmosphere was almost too good to be true.

"Hurry up, pretty boy! Quit flirting with your reflection and give me the bathroom!" came Tori's irritated voice from the floor above. I spoke too soon. Her vocal chords always seemed to be in check even when she just rolled out of bed.

It was our second day here at this gothic safe house. We all had to be up and ready by at least eight o' clock to eat breakfast and then do a couple chores. I didn't mind though. Our schedule wasn't nearly as full as the Lyle house schedule, and the people seemed fairly nice. The ones I'd met anyhow. Maybe I like this place more due o the fact that their aren't therapists and pills being forced on us.

Even if there weren't therapists and pills though, we still had to deal with the weight of the Edison Group issue on our shoulders. The feelings about how to handle the situation were mixed, causing a bit of tension between all of us. I didn't know what to think about the group at the time being. I was so confused, still getting over Aunt Lauren and…

And I wasn't going to think about that right now. We had a few days before we really had to get down to business and I wanted them to be as little burdensome as possible. Just relax, Chloe.

I leaned back in the porch swing, realizing that I had been stuck in a tense, hunched position, and watched the surrounding woods as I gently swayed. Taking a long sip of my lemonade, I wondered what Derek was doing out there in the woods. He was neither sweaty nor sickly looking. In fact he looked better then I'd ever seen him. His face was starting to clear up a little, a couple spots on his chin or so, and he didn't have to shower as often as he did before. Mother nature seemed to be cutting him some slack.

I'd woken up early this morning, and came out to enjoy the rest of the sunrise, showered and refreshed. Just as I'd settled into the swing, Derek stepped out of the house. He'd looked a little concerned to see me out there that early, and asked me if I'd gotten any sleep.

I had gotten some. I was so exhausted that my mind couldn't even activate the dreaming function I my sleep. It felt like I'd closed my eyes at night and then opened them again to find it to be morning.

Derek then nodded to that and relaxed before heading down the steps and into the woods. He was so strange sometimes.

I watched the stillness of the trees and set my glass aside. He was probably just scoping out the area, making sure everything was alright. That seemed like him. I wished that I'd asked to go with him. That might have been cool.

I heard Simon and Tori bickering upstairs. The hall window must have been open. I sighed. I had limited time before they affected my good mood with their arguments, or before Simon broke away and came down and asked me to do something else with him. Not that I didn't like Simon. He was great and all, but he seemed to be taking uncomfortable advances on me.

I stood, the porch swing swaying slightly, creaking. I padded down the steps and down the ground I'd watched Derek walk fifteen minutes ago.

I followed a narrow path until I iscovered a creek weaving its way through the trees. There were a couple of rocks poking out of the water that seemed sturdy enough to walk across. I pushed up the sleeve of my sweater and dipped my hand into the water, quickly bringing it back when feeling how cold it was. I wiped my hands on my jeans and looked across the stream. On a rock was Derek's navy sweatshirt and grey T-shirt.

Was he swimming in the water? I stepped onto a rock, slowly and carefully, and looked into the water. It was then that I noticed a figure in the water, lying motionless, eyes gazing sadly straight up at the sky. It was a girl, most likely, due to the long dark hiar that flowed with the creek. Her foot seemed to be caught on the rocks I was standing on. I let out a small gasp and reached forward. Maybe she was drowning. My hand passed through the water, and then right through her arm. I tried again, just grabbing a hold of more water.

Tears sprung to my eyes. She was long dead. A ghost. Her glazed over eyes staring up into the canopy of trees and sky for who knows how long.

I recoiled so quickly that I lost my balance. My foot caught between two rocks and I fell backward into the water. I think I screamed, but it all happened so quickly I couldn't be sure.

I thrashed in the water, dislodging my foot. A sharp pain burned in my ankle. Thankfully the water wasn't that deep, so when my bottom hit the floor, my neck and head were still above the surface. I coughed and spluttered, ridding of the water I accidentaly inhaled.

I evened out my breathing and lifted myself off the muddy floor with my good foot. When I went to use the other, it protested with another pang of pain. So I settled for using my one good foot and arms to pull myself onto the bank. I twisted and looked at my ankle, which seemed to be bent in an odd way. I grimaced and looked away, shivering.

My ears felt hot with frustration. I had to be the most accident prone person in the world, always tripping over air and stumbling into sticky situations. I wasn't sure whether to call Derek or not. He'd probably be mad at me for wandering off again like a lost puppy. Plus, lately he has been kind of tense about the whole missing father scenario. I shouldn't give him something else to worry about.

So there I was, wondering how I was going to get back to the house. My ankle had to at least be twisted. Probably ten minutes passed before a familiar voice stirred me from my planning.

"What're you doing there?" I looked up, seeing Derek looking at me from across the creek. My eyes landed on his chest..his _bare_ chest, slightly glistening with sweat. I tore my eyes away from the well-sculpted planes of his stomach and pretended to be interested with the clouds, my face heating up. All I saw in those billowing white cliuds however, was the slightly sweaty Derek across the little creek.

"I'm j-just..sitting," I breathed, hearing him grab his shirt and pull it over his head. I looked back to him, now in his T-shirt, "What were you doing?" Derek studied me, grabbing his sweatshirt and easily crossing the slippery rocks.

"Running," he replied, stopping at my side, taking in my appearance. I probably looked like an idiot, sitting on the side of a creek, soaked to the bone, muddy, hugging myself for warmth. I met his green gaze, shivering a little. Not entirely from the cold.

"Why are you all wet?" he asked, hiding the concern in his voice in his voice with a gruff tone. Nice try Derek, but I caught some emotion in there. I shrugged and laughed nervously, bracing myself, preparing to be yelled at.

"I-I fell in." I nodded to the creek. Instead of lashing ou on me he sighed and told me to take off my jacket, which I did rather reluctantly due to the sopping wet white T-shirt underneath. He then handed me his black sweatshirt and I slipped it on. It was enormous on my, but warmer than my wet jacket. I smiled thankfully up at him, and his lip twitched into a brief half-smile. Small, but a sincere smile. You had to take what you could get with Derek. He extened a hand to help me up and when I hesitated to grab it, he frowned and dropped it quickly. He shoved it in his pocket and opened his mouth.

"You can't stay out here alone. If you want I'll go get Si--" I cut him off before he could finish his brother's name.

"No!" I said to quickly, than smiled meekly, "No offense to Simon Derek, but you've been giving me a little more of your brother's attention than I want." He looked confused for a moment, and I relished in that look. That too was a rare thing to see. He shook his head.

"Well you can't stay out here alone," Derek told me. I smiled again and patted the ground next to me, deciding to procrastinate on telling him about my ankle, which throbbed dully now.

"I won't be alone. You'll be here," I responded, elated when he scowled and sat next to me. He asked me if I was cold. I told him not anymore, and he seemed to relax a bit more. I pulled the jacket up a little, discreetly smelling the fabric. It smelled like pine and dirt, and there was a faint trace of salt. A nice smell. Woodsy. Since Derek's B.O had let up his other outdoorsy smells had become noticable. And they were nice, good smells. Familiar.

"So how did you fall in?" he asked tentatively. My dopey grin fell and a hugged the oversized hoodie coser to my body. He looked at me, noticing my pause. I refused to meet his eyes, knowing what I would see would be more concern. I failed to not add to his worries.

"I-I saw a g-ghost," I said, mentally cursing my stutters. I inhaled deeply, "she was drowning, and I tried to reach in and grab her, but s-she wasn't..solid. So I jumped back and tripped and--and.." I shook my head. Derek lifted a hand towards me, as if to lay it on my shoulder, but let it drop.

"Chloe," he sighed, looking to the creek as if expecting to seee the girl, "Chloe, I'm sorry." It was still kind of rough, but I detected the softness in his voice. That did it. I started thinking of the other ghosts, of Aunt Lauren. I felt the tears rising again.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm always c-causing you trouble, and r-r-raising things and bothering spirits. I'm sorry about it all. I-I wish I didn't have such a knack for finding trouble, for finding g-ghosts. It's terrible, seeing their deaths like that, not knowing how to help them," I started spilling, going over the edge. I looked away from Derek, blinking the tears back, "The girl in the water, she looked so troubled, so helpless. She must have b-been, to resort to s-s-s-s-su-sui--" I couldn't say it. _Suicide_. I swallowed hard. I felt something touch me etrmely softly on my back, just a light touch at first, then small, comforting circles. Derek. I leaned into his hand a bit and wiped my tears on his jacket sleeve.

"I'm sorry," I managed, chuckling a bit and turning to face him, "I kind of just snapped. I shouldn't have made you stay here." His eyes, deep forest green, watched me closely. I saw a shocking softness in them when I had been expecting to see frustration. The rest of his face was unreadable.

"Quit apologizing," he said firmly, his hand pausing on my back. I smiled a little and dared to give him a hug.

My arms were loose around him, but I felt his many muscles tense beneath them. I didn't care. I needed a hug and albeit Derek secretly needed one too. My cheek was pressed gently against his shoulder, and I wondered if he was ever going to take his other strong arm and hug me back. I gave him an encouraging little pat.

"I don't bite," I whispered, barely audible. I knew he heard me though. His other arm came around my back and gace me a light squeeze before releasing. He seemd a little more relaxed. I laughed a little and let go of him, quite proud that I had the courage to give him the hug. Derek Souza probably wasn't exposed to much affection.

"Thank you, Derek," I said to him, and he gave me a full smile. No teeth, but still a bigger smile than the usual. VERY rare, and meant to be remembered.

"We should go back now. Breakfast is probably already being served," he said. My jaw dropped slightly. Food shouldn't be on his mind right now..then again, he was a werewolf. He stood and held out his hand. I bit my lip. Time to spill the beans.

"Uh..Derek, when I fell, I kind of..hurt my ankle. I can't exactly walk on it." He puffed out a deep breath and grunted before stopping down and _lifting _me of the ground. I guess he really was hungry.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he sounded a little angry now, as he began to walk back. I was too happy to care. Derek was carrying me, against his warm chest. I felt embarrased and at the same time ecstatic. I wondered if I wanted Derek to be more than my friend. Did friends really like being_ this_ close to friends? I couldn't like Derek. I'm sure that he barely liked me as a friend. Maybe that was why he was always getting Simon to do things for me, so that he didn't have to. I felt the frown forming on my lips. I must have been such a hassle to Derek.

_So why does he always rush to your rescue? Play hero? _My subconcience asked me. I glanced up at his face, green eyes trained on the path ahead. He shifted my wieght a little to get a better hold of me. Here I was, being carried through the woods, in _his _hoodie that smelled of the forest. I could always count on him to be there to save me, again and again. Despite his bossy, quiet, know-it-all demeanor he was a pretty good guy, admirable really. No, I don't like Derek any more tan a good friend.

_That's why you followed him in here like a lost puppy, and oggle his chest after he's gone for a run, _my mind reminded me. I mentally cursed myself. I had to admit, he did look and smell better lately.

I released a sigh, tired of arguing with myself. Hearigng my sigh, Derek focused on me, eyes locked with mine as if asking if I was okay. The close eye-contact made my throat go dry, my stomach flip.

_Crap._


	2. AN

Hey everybody. I forgot to put a disclaimer and things in my chapter so..

I do not own Darkest Powers :)

There ya are.

Also, check out my new DArkest Powers roleplay forum!

Thanks,

have a nice day!


	3. Shamans are Wacked

**Hello again! Here is the second chapter to my two-shot, so enjoy!**

**I do not own Darkest Powers blah blah blah...**

**Also, I decided to do this one from Derek's POV**

I can't believe she followed me out here. Wait a minute, scratch that. Chloe was always wandering into danger, so I guess this whole situation should have been expected by me. I'm _dissapointed _that Chloe followed me out into the woods alone, not stopping to think about what could happen to herself again. I should have thought to tell her to stay around the house. She _might_ have listened.

She released a deep sigh and I looked down at her, keeping my face straight when I felt the worries start to sink in. Was her ankle broken? No, she would've been in more pain than what she was showing. Not even Chloe would have been able to hide it that well. I watched her eyes, searching the deep blue for some hint as to what she was feeling, what might be going on in her head. She didn't look in pain. Instead she looked..content. I guess that's the word I'm looking for. It was odd that this was her reaction to a big, hideous werewolf carrying her bridal style through the woods. But anyways, her eyes were truly something, always lively and bright, the depths of blue providing hope when all seems lost. It's really quite tiring to awlways have everyone look to me when they don't know what to do. I don't know much more than they do most of the time, even if I do come off as a bit of a know-it-all. When I just felt like giving up on taking risks and calling the shots, just glancing at Chloe' hopeful expression motivated me to keep going. Tori keeps making rude and irritating comments about her abundance of perkiness. Well, the rest of us sure as hell don't know how to cope with all of the doom and gloom and end up lashing out on eachother. Thank god for peace keeper Chloe, or I might have strangled a few people.

I quit staring at her like an idiot when she turned away, a blush spreading over her cheeks. I must have been looking at her with a little too much intensity, too much thought. I brought my head back up to watch were I was going. The trees dwindled and I saw the house up ahead in all its gothic gloriness. It was a creepy place, but it was safe. I could hear their voices clear enough now to be able to tel breakfast hadn't been served yet. The smell of eggs and bacon drifted my way, causing my stomach to rumble loudly. Chloe giggled softly and I felt a tad embarrased.

"Is your ankle hurting you?" I asked her quickly. A cold gust of wind blew through the thinning trees and she shivered.

"Not really." I translated this too _yes, a little bit, Derek_, in my head and picked up the pace a little.

I walked up the porch steps and pushed open the screen with my elbow. I felt Chloe squirm a little to look around, seeing what was going on. I walked down the hall a bit and turned into the living room, where Andrew, and elderly witch named Gwen, and a half-demon whose name I kept on forgetting sat whispering. The room was a light tan color with old photos and tacky furniture. It was a fairly simple, comfortable living room, and not to cheery like the Lyle house. They'd been talking about what to do about Tori and Simon before I'd walked in with a wet Chloe.

"Dear, what happened?" the witch asked, rising to her feet at the same time as the other two in the room. All of them looked shocked, and I could practically hear their assumptions running through their head. No doubt they blamed me for this. Before I could speak Chloe answered.

"I fell," she told them, then probably realized that what she said was suspisiously vague and continued, "I-I", deep breath ,"Was g-going for a walk and I started crossing a creek, but the rocks were more slippery than I thought.." She trailed off and smiled meekly. I ignored the searching eyes and finished for her.

"Her ankle might be sprained. She couldn't walk on it, so I carried her back here," I explained flatly, shaifting my weight uncommfortably, wondering where I should put Chloe down. Andrew nodded slowly, still taking in the sight of us.

"Alright, Derek, would you please take Chloe up to her room? I'll get Laney to come up and take a look," Andrew told me, and then left the room in search of Laney, the only shaman here. Shamans were naturally healers of illness caused by evil spirits, but Laney was also fairly educated in the normal kind of medicine and sort of played Doctor to the building. She never used aspirin or pain meds and believed in home-made, from the earth medicine. I always made sure to be locked up in my room or in the shower when she insisted on practicing her acupuncture on one of us.

I nodded, giving a parting glance to the other women in the room before going and starting up the stairs. Chloe's room was 4 doors down from mine, right next to the bathroom. She reached out and opened the door for me. She was sharing a room with Tori (poor Chloe) and I could tell they that already made bed was hers. Both by her scent and the fact that Tori didn't seem likely to make her bed in the morning. I walked over and gingerly placed her on the bed, grabbing her extra pillow and placing it under her foot. I was hit by a brief fantasy of her lying in bed, but I quickly shut it out and wiped my face of emotion. No matter how much I try not to have feelngs for, the animal side of me comes back, wanting me to tend to her every need.

"Laney should be up here in a minute," I informed her, hearing Andrew talking to Laney downstairs.

"Thanks Derek," she replied with a smile that threatened to bring a smile to my face too. She pushed herself up on her elbows, wincing when she moved her ankle, "I really hope Laney doesn't make her shaman soup for me though." She made a face, her nose wrinkling in distaste. Shaman soup was a concoction that reduced pain, but unfortunately tasted like old gym socks and grass. I chuckled and shook my head, a good five feet away now, pressed against the wall beside the window.

"What's worse? The pain of your ankle or the pain of her crazy meds?" I aked, shoving my hands in my pockets. She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Her meds," she replied with a wide grin that brightened the dullness of the room and my mood. I allowed myself to smile at that, eeth and all, just as Laney walked in. She looked surprised at my grin, and looked between me and Chloe before the corner of her lip upturned.

"Well what have we here?" she moved to Chloe and slowly pushed up her pant leg a bit. Her ankle was swollen. My smile fell quickly. She made a few tsking noises and then turned to me, "Derek, hon, please go get me some ice. Oh, and some tape puh-lease." She began unlacing Chloe's shoe when I left, asking her to explain what happened. I listened to a slightly longer version of the story we'd told Andrew as I headed down the stairs. I stepped into the kitchen and saw most of the house's inhabitants grabbing plates and serving themselves.

"Hey bro," Simon greeted, filling his plate with eggs, "How's it hanging?" Simon glanced up at me and raised a brow at my expression. I guess he saw the concern there.

"What happened?" he asked lowly, grabbing a fork. I walked past him, grabbed a plastic ziploc bag, then opened the freezer.

"Chloe fell," I said, feeling Andrew's eyes on me from the table, "Laney asked me to get ice." I peered at Simon over my shoulder as I dumped the ice from the ice trays into the bag. He looked ready to ditch his breakfast and go up there to see her. Not on my watch.

"Relax, Simon. She's fine. Laney's got it under control," I grumbled, trying to convince him and myself. This was all my fault... I grabbed the first aid kit under the sink.

Before Simon could argue I headed back to the stairs, not having much trouble getting through since the others pretty much cleared the way. Just because I'm a werewolf doesn't mean I'm going to rip their heads off if they're standing in my way. Sheesh. People.

I silently slipped back into the room as Laney was talking to Chloe about how she nearly fell off a cliff following some boy. Maybe Laney was teaching Chloe some life lessons. Do not follow people into a dangerous enviroment unles you know where you're going. I kind of liked Laney. She wasn't afraid of me and didn't assume the worst of me. It doesn't take much to be on my good side really. Shame I didn't have many people on my good side.

When Laney and Chloe had failed to see me come in I gave the ice bag a little shake. Chloe jumped and looked at me and Laney just held out a hand, holding in a laugh. I shook my head. Chloe was so jumpy. Placing the ice bag in Laney's hand and the first aid kit on the bed, I took a few steps back. I waited and when I didn't get an update from Laney I decided to say something.

"So.." I left it hanging, waiting to be filled in.

"Just a simple sprain, Derek," Laney informed me, setting the bag on Chloe's ankle. Choe seemed a little relieved and relaxed a bit, "One more thing Derek, could you head downstairs and grab us some food? Grab yourself a plate too. Chloe could use some more company than me." I wondered why she was asking me to be company. I wasn't much at all. I didn't say much and people didn't usually like me around. Still I nodded and went downstairs to grab more food and she started taping up the foot.

I balanced three plates up the stairs and down the hall,pushing open the ajar door with my side. I was starving, and carrying this much food in front of my nose wasn't helping much.

"Well doesn't that look delicious! Bacon, eggs, sausage...and..ooh hashbrowns too!" Laney squealed when I gave her a plate, "Jenny has outdone herself today." I piled all the plates high, probably more than they could eat, but I knew that none of it would go to waste with my stomach in the room too. I handed Chloe her a plate too and her eyes widened a bit at all the food. I couldn't help a small chuckle and headed back against the wall with my own plate, shovelng some eggs nto my mouth. Finally. Food at last.

"It' a good thing you found Chloe. If you hadn't, she probably would have sat there by the creek til sundown and given herself hypothermia," Laney said, taking a small bite of her bacon. I swallowed.

"I have no doubt that she would have," I replied quietly, watching a shade of pink creep across Chloe's cheeks. I rather liked it when she blushed, the color making her face seem so.. Shut up, Derek. I shoved more food down my throat. We ate in silence for a few more minutes, giving me enough time to clear my plate while the other two had just barely started. Slow eaters. Chloe turned attention from her plate to me and stifled a laugh.

"What?" I snapped, setting my plate on nightstand. She poked her eggs and looked at me with a shrug.

"I've never seen anyone clear a plate that fast," Laney said, looking startled. Chloe was probably used to it by now.

"Get used to it, Laney, because mealtimes are always going to be like this," Chloe giggled, taking another bite. She chewed slowly and swallowed, looking down at her half full plate pitifully, "Are you still hungry, Derek?" The look on her face told me she already knew the answer, which was rather obvious. A guy like me needed a lot of food to be content. I snorted in response.

"You want the rest of mine? You really gave me too much," Chloe said, holding up her plate. At first I told her to try and eat a little more, that maybe she'd grow (only teasing), and she wouldn't have it, so naturally I ended up taking the rest and wolfing it down (no pun intended). And then later the rest of Laney's. After eating the shaman turned back to Chloe and began to tape up her ankle, the swelling down a bit.

"Well okie dokie artichokies, everything is fine now. Don't walk on your ankle too much sweetie, okay?" Laney waited for Chloe to nod before patting her arm and sliding off the bed. She walked towards the door and paused by me

"You both are so fortunate to have eachother," she commented, implying more than a friendship I believed. It was obvious in her tone. When we both looked shocked b her statement she waltzed out of the room, taking our empty plates with her. I cleared my throat and Chloe bit her lip.

"Laney doesn't know what she's talking about," I reassured Chloe. She just kept biting her lip and patted the bed like she had down by the creek. Maye she had something else bugging her, something she wanted to get off her chest. I thought about the cons of sitting next to her again and figured they weren't much compared to the pros, so I moved and settle at the foot of her be, he sprained ankle by my hip. I looked down at it hesitantly, hoping it didn't hurt, then began to think of how small her feet were. Probably no bigger than my hand.

"It doesn't hurt much anymore. The ice really helps. Thanks," she told me when se saw me looking. I turned my attention to her face and she smiled.

_You're sitting in the same bed with her and she smiles! _the animal in me shirped exciedly. I told it to shut up and rested my hand on her bed post, looking out the window. I felt a little uncomfortble with the feeling I was getting sitting in bed with her.

"I'm glad," I said in response to her comment. I felt her eyes on my face and calmly asked her 'what?'.

"I've noticed that y-you've been looking...b-better lately.." she breathed and I heard her hearrt flutter nervously. What was she nervous about? She continued, "Do you think that you'll change all the way next time?" At that I stared at her. Maybe she did have a valid point there. My puberty smackdown seemed to be letting up, so maybe that means I was close to maturity in wolf form too...

"There's a possibility," I said, sounding distant. I was a little afraid of changing completely. What if I lost control? She leaned forward with those hopeful blue eyes, watching me.

"What's wrong?" she asked me softly. I grumbled a nothing, but she kept looking at me with those eyes...gah!

"It's the change.. What if I'm not in control? What if I hurt someone?" I said, scowling at the weakness in my voice. I cleared my throat and looked out the window again. Chloe was shocked, probably at the fact that I seemd to be afraid of something. I was afraid of a lot of things, but I hated showing it,especially in front of Chloe. I felt something small and warm rest on my forearm. Chloe's hand.

"Derek, don't worry. I'll be there with you," she reassured me. I turned to her, fixing an intense stare on Chloe.

"No, Chloe, you can't come to this one. It could be dangerous," I warned her, my voice low. She gained a fiery, stubborn look. Here it comes.. an argument.

"I know you're worried, Derek, but I'm not afriad of you. I _know _you won't hurt me," she insisted, and I scoffed.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Because I know one. Better than he might think." With that she gave a little smug smile, daring me to keep arguing. I knew that I wouldn't be able to sway her thoughts. She could be so stubborn sometimes. I was kind of touched with the way she thought of me though. I rolled my eyes at her and stood.

"Fine," I agreed reluctantly, making a goofy face at her, which surprised me. Being around Chloe and her non-judgemental ways alllowed me freedom to be my own person who laughs and smiles and has fun. Chloe never once let a special stupid expression or laugh with me go unnoticed. She was just like that, and I lov--liked that about her.

A small angelic laugh filled my ears and then she looked at me with such an intensity I felt I would burst with my emotions I worked so hard to keep at bay. I felt like a deer in headlights. A pair of gorgeous, alluring cerulean headlights.

"Derek, I care about you..a lot," she said softly out of the blue. And that did it. My common sense left the building and let my feelings took the reigns. I stepped towards her in one swift moment and bent over her, bringing my lips down to hers at an agonizingly slow pace, trying to stop myself. And to my surprise she brought her lips forward and met mine in a gentle kiss. I felt my senses come alive, her unique scent filling my nostrils, wrapping around my brain. The quickened pace of her heart, pounding against her ribs. And with what I was feeling, I knew my heart was too. It was amazing, everything that I kept buried expressed by setting my mouth against her warm lips. What made it exceptionally perfect was the fact that she was kissing me back.

I reluctantly pulled my head back a little, barely parting a centimeter actually. Her breathe tickled my chin. I was so surprised. She wasn't disgusted or afraid, but seemed like she enjoyed it just as much.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that," I breathed, "You know, I really care about you too. I don't mean to be a jerk to you, or to try and control what you do. You worry me and infuriate me and I yell at you because... I'm afraid of losing you, Chloe. But that's still not an excuse--" She stopped me with a peck on the lips once more before wrapping her smll arms around my neck in a hug. I complied and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"I'm not going anywhere, Derek. Well, not that I could with my ankle messed up and all." I laughed. She was finally mine.

_Your mate, _my wolf side told me. For once, I decided the animal in me was right.

_My mate._

**And that's all folks! That's the end of this two shot, and thanks for reading!**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed before :)**


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